Oregon Woman Who Refused to Give Dog Back Agrees to Plea Deal

An Oregon woman who took a loose dog home and refused to give him back to his owner has given up her months-long fight to keep the canine.

Jordan Biggs, 20, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge Friday in a Corvallis, Ore., courtroom, as part of an agreement arranged between her attorney and the prosecution.

The dog drama began in March 2011 when Chase, a husky mix, jumped over a fence at his Portland home.

Biggs found the dog, named him Bear, and took him home with her after she said she was unable to locate the owner. She said she trained the canine to act as a service dog in the event she had an asthma attack, according to local reports.

More than a year later, Sam Hanson-Fleming, the rightful owner of the dog, spotted his pet pooch with Biggs at a Portland coffee shop.

The Multnomah County Animal Services conducted an investigation and determined Hanson-Fleming was the rightful owner. Biggs, however, refused to part with the dog and said it had been abused and neglected in Hanson-Fleming's care.

An investigation found no evidence to back her claims, and in October, Hanson-Fleming was reunited with the dog he named Chase as a puppy.

Biggs filed a lawsuit to regain custody of the dog, but as part of her plea deal, she has agreed to concede Hanson-Fleming is the rightful owner, negating the suit.

She was also sentenced to 80 hours of community service, ordered to attend a civic responsibility course and must stay away from the dog, The Oregonian reported.

If all of the terms are completed within six months, the court will expunge the case from her record.